Happy 1st Thanksgiving Par!!!

Par had a wonderful Thanksgiving today (and three week birthday)--he is very thankful for all of the prayers that have been said for his recovery and he is especially thankful for Dr. Kays and his incredible team that has given him his life.

We called to check on Par early this morning and found that he had been weaned on the ventilator a bit more because he had a good blood gas. When we arrived later that morning Par was asleep and shortly thereafter I went to pump. Rusty's dad and grandmother came to visit again and thankfully Par was awake for his audience. We've learned that Par wakes up really early and then has his midmorning nap, only to wake up again around lunch--and when he wakes up he is wide awake.



After pumping, Rusty left and I spent the rest of the time knitting at Par's bedside. While knitting, I overheard some of the nurse talking about moving Par today because of another CDH baby due tomorrow. My mom came around 2pm and we grabbed some lunch and visited with Par who was having a pretty fussy time because of a wet diaper and a dangling central line. He ended up having an x-ray to make sure he hadn't pulled the central line out--thankfully, it looks fine. By this afternoon, Par was weaned even more on the ventilator--12 breaths/minute! During this time, I also whipped up a little indian headress for Par (and one for Ella) so he could feel festive and in the holiday spirit.





By the time they started to really talk about the move, Rusty had returned. Apparently it is a pretty big ordeal with the drips, monitors and ventilator--so Rusty and I left right as they were getting ready to move Par. We would have waited for the entire move, but with it being Thanksgiving there were a few less nurses on staff in the NICU (no worries – all babies are getting their necessary care), so it took a good amount of time to get the number of nurses available (with babies stable and doing well) to make Par’s “move”. So, Par made his “move” while we went home for Thanksgiving.





Thanksgiving dinner at the hotel was amazing! My mom did an incredible job making us feel at home--and our T-giving guests made it extra special: Tina & Josh (Ella's parents), Jasmine (Jonathan's mom), Mary & Darrell, Memaw, Mom, Sal and me. The only upset to the fantastic meal was Sally finally getting the larger end of the wishbone when she and I split it.



I was excited to return to see Par--all of us parents arrived back at the NICU at the same time to visit our precious babies. As we expected, Par was very cozy in his brand new big boy bed and new spot! It was a little dark and sort of in the middle of everything--but I'm sure we'll get use to it (we were so spoiled by his big room). Par was asleep so we decided to leave him in peace.



Rusty and I are very thankful for all that God has given us. The blessings we've received while in Gainesville have been nothing short of miraculous. We thank each one of you for your prayers for our son.

We continue to pray for Ella and Jonathan as they continue their own journeys--we are thankful for their precious lives--and their precious parents.

Thank you for your love.
Liz, Rusty & Chief Par Monkey Toes